A second lawsuit has been filed in Arkansas challenging the governor’s decision to delay a special election—this time for the vacant House District 70 seat, formally held by Rep. Carlton Wing (R – North Little Rock).
The lawsuit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeks to compel Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to hold an earlier special election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 70, arguing that her proclamation setting the election for June 9, 2026, violates state law and denies voters representation.
The complaint, filed on behalf of the Democratic Party of Arkansas and several individual plaintiffs, names Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Secretary of State Cole Jester as defendants. It cites Arkansas Code § 7-7-105, which requires the Governor to call a special election to fill a legislative vacancy “as soon as practicable” and, in any event, within 150 days, unless holding it sooner would be “impracticable or unduly burdensome.”
The plaintiffs contend that no such burden exists and that delaying the election until mid-2026 leaves District 70 voters without representation for months, violating their statutory and constitutional rights. The filing asks the court to declare the Governor’s proclamation unlawful and to order that a new election date be set consistent with state law.
The case mirrors a similar ongoing lawsuit over Senate District 26, which raises nearly identical questions about the timing of special elections and the limits of executive authority.
